Push-button switch.



C. D. PLATT.

PUSH BUTTON SWITCH. APPLlcATloN FILED MAR, 11. |914.

Patented May 22, 1917.l

- 2 SHEETS- SHEET 2- 4Fig. e-

AFig- 7- v IN1/mmf?. r waz-ende Hauff,

lvfy l 4 WIT/VESSES -eld -a'nd State of CLARENCE D. BLATT, orBRIDGEPONT, CONNECTICUT.

PUSH-BUTTON SWITCH.

To aZZ whom t may concern:

Be it known that I, CLARENCED. Pria'r'r, a citizen of the United dent ofBridgeport, in the county of Fair- Connecticut, have invented certainnew and useful Improvements in Push-Button Switches, of which thefollow- -ing 'is a -full,.clear, and exact description, whereby any oneskilled in the artf'may' make and' use the same.

The"invention relatesto electric switches .and more particularly to thetype of yswitch known in the art` as a push button switch. r@his 'may beof single or. multiple 'pole deis'Slgn'- 'I The class of devicesreferred to is well known as atype in the arts. The invention hereindefined 'has to do particularly with a simpliiedv and refinedyconstruction which will provide a lmaximum strength, -simplicity,a'nnimum number of parts and certainty, of :correct operation.` The.parts are` so, arranged and designed that they may be formed.- from'dies with eat accuracy, thus zprovidin'g ease of manu acture, to saynothing of. advantages in assembly and subse` quent operation. Theobjects of the inventionare to provide a supporting frame in'whi'ch themov- 'ing parts 'may be readily assembled with accuracy and precisionand with locking and releasing features for the switch blade, membershaving features of posit/ ive interlockv ing without employment of cams(5i-'tension provide a receptacle with as little depth as Afu 'herobjectis to provide 'a switch bar springs.

v'carrier stamped .up in a single piece and with bearings to minimizefriction, v A 4fur'- ther object4 is' to provide a slide bar andinterlock fori e switch bearing member or yoke which willbe positive .inits locking and releasingactions-and will operate without 10stmotionsuponthe operating buttons and switchbladdearrying menaber.v

-.Referriiig to the drawings l'is a top*'plan view with the plateremoved'.

Zisafcross sectional view on the line a-feofrig i.

5c Fig. 3 is a similar' eros's1-sectionalview onl theline 3-#3 of Fig,1.

Fig. 4 is a longitudinal section on the linefi-.Ji'of. I\`ig.'1.r Fig."5is a similar sectional view on the lne-5-5 .ot-Figi.

Specicatioii of `Letters Patent'.

States, andv a resiextreme .Thispermits carrying the switch parts very.ment ears 4 and Derforations 5,

Patented May 22,' 1917.

:Application med mmh 17, 1914. serial No. 825,221.

F ig. 6 is a vperspective view of the several jilvitch parts in relativeposition for assem- Fig. 7 is 'a perspective view of the insu latingreceptacle. v

- Fig. Sis-a detail view of the switch blade yoke.' f

In devices of .the character described, it'

is very desirable to reduce the number of moving parts to a` minimum andto climinate as far as possible tension springs for the pawls anddetents inasmuch as the breaking, down of the detent device for in`-terlocking destroys the usefulness of the switch. In the presentinvention, provision has been made for ready' assembly of all the partsas 'a complete unit so that these parts may be insertedin any insulatedboX or cas ing of' 'ordinary type. The supporting Y frame with all ofthe parts may be removed 75 atan instants noticeI andthe various partsmay be disassembled from the supporting rame'vv'vithout theI use oftools. Furthermore,` there are no spring detents or 'spring actuatedlocking devices for the switch blade l or its appurtenant parts. Themain spring for tensioning the switch'blades is the only: one employedin the device.

Referring to the drawings, the numeral.-

1. denotes the insulating casing' ordinarily 85l formed from porcelainand containing the stationary contact members 2 which are provided withthe usual,linewire connections Itis desirable in push button switches topossible and yet provide a suiiicient throw. for the switch blades andactuating-'mechas n'ism. The device herein disclosed-contains theseadvantages which are made possible.v by mounting the switch mechanism-at the bottom of a supporting frame 3.

close to `the bottom of the receptacle.' This Y frame 3 is preferablystamped up fromsheet metal land is provided with the usual attach-.,100

6 for the f push buttons? and 8. `Depending from the' upper bar of theframe are two 'parallelly disposed downwardly extending arms .9, 10which have a 105 pivot perforation 11I adjacent to their lower ends uponwhich pivot, the moving parts ot the mechanism are mounted. The lowerend of the dependent members 9 and `10 are provided with stopshouldersjii@ 'to give two bearing surfaces 21, 22 against the inside ofthe member 10, thus reducing the contact4 and consequent friction of thepart as it slides between the members 9 and l0. The lug 17 is disposedin a line substantially midway between the contact points 21, 22 andtherefore there is little tendency of the lug 17 binding in theelongated slideslot 16 through which it projects. The lower end ofthemember 19 is perforated Las at 23 and engages a pivot stud 24 arrangedupon the actuator bar This acn tuator bar is provided with the usualpivotal connections 26, 27 for the push buttons l7,8 and has a springbarrel 28 which gives ample bearing surface for the member 25 and actsas a retainer for the spring 29.

When this actuating bar 25 is in place, the pivot stud 24 projectstoward the dependent plate member 9 and holds the member 19 of the slideplate in position against the inner face of the dependent member 9. Asthe stud 24 is at one side of the central bearing of the plate 25anoscillation of said plate will move the slide member 18 between theplates 9 and 10 with a reciprocating motion. The stop lug 17 projectingthrough the slot 16 will, of course also move with a verticalreciprocation. Each reciprocation of the lockingl member or plate 18,due to an operation ofthe actuator bar 25, carries the stop lug 17either above or below the lugs 34, 35.`

,The releasinginovements aretherefore effected by under and overmovements of the locking or stop lug 17, with reference to the lugs 34and plate bearing the stop lug 17 is directly pi voted to the actuatorbar 25 at one side of the pivotal center of thelatter, it is apparentthat upon'the release of the lugs 34 and 'by either the raising ordepression of the stop lug 17, there'is a full and instant rc.- leaseupon the completion of each movement of the actuator bar. Such movementof the actuator bar carries the lugI 25a slightly berested by the stopshoulders, either 12 or 13,

with spring 29 still under some tension g 4so that it follows that uponthe relcaseof the actuator bar` through the operator taking his fingerfrom the push button, there is an immediate relooking of the partsthrough the spring operating to bring the lug 25a of inasmuch as thelocking of the receptacle.

the actuator bar into parallelism with the Cross piece 14 of the yoke.This latter movementby reason of the direct pivotal connection betweenthe actuator vbar and the locking slide member or plate 18 insures thatthe locking or stop lug 17 shall be brought into the path of the lug 34or 35 of the yoke, thus positively relocking the parts. Thisarrangement' is a distinct advancement .over the prior art, so far asknown, in simplicity of construction and positiveness of operation,inasmuch as there is no cammin'g action between the parts suchv as hasheretofore been resorted to in electric switches of the kind to whichmine belongs.

The contact blades 15 are mounted Iupon the yoke -14 and insulatedtherefrom in a manner well-known in the art. 1

The yoke 14 is preferably formed by stamping up from sheet metal and hasaxially alined perforations 30, 31in its re spective arms 32, 33. Thearm 32 at its upper end has .in-turned locking lugs 34, 35 which areangularly disposed with reference to the bar 32, the angularity beingsuch that the lugs are practically parallel with the slot 16 andprojecting stop lug 17 when the yoke is at either limit of its play. 7

The perforations 30, 31 are stamped through the upwardly extending arms32, 33 of the yoke 14 and thus provide elongated bearing surfaces forthe yoke with practically knife-edge bearing points` 36 where theyengage the sides of the dependent members 9 and 10. These bosses 36serve as definite spacers for the yoke 14 and as def scribed, have amaximum strength and bearing surface with a minimum frictional wearagainst the dependent wearing members 9 and 10.

The actuating plate 25, Atogether with the yoke member and appurtenantparts are mounted upon a spindle 3:7 and this spindle is of thefioatiIigtype and is held in position when the parts are assembled in the receptacle by the side walls ofthe receptacle,

As illustrated, the receptacle' 1 is provided with grooves 38, 39 on itsopposite sides and as the assembled switch-mechanism is insertcd in thereceptacle, the Heating pin 37 is held againstaxial movement by thewalls This arrangement obviates riveting and especiallyv over-rivetingand setting of the parts which willtend to interfere with their freedomof action. It

also lprovides a ready means for taking down the switch mechanism forinspection or re` pairs. The spindle 37 `is preferably pointed at oneend so that it will readily find its way through thevarious perforated-parts supported upon it or 'upon' which it is supported.

The spring 29 upon the drum 28 of.the actuating bar 25 is of the two-armtype and its arms extend on either side of a lug 25*t which projectslaterallyof Vthe plate v25'.

When assembled, the spring arms are just sufliciently separated topermit the insertion lof the cross bar of the yoke 14 between them.

' tions 11 ofthe plates 9 and 10. The supporting spindle 37 is theninserted through all the parts. A

When assembled,'one or the other ofthe stop lugs 34, 35 rests againstthe side of the projecting stop lug 17. As the respective push buttonsare depressed, the stop lug 17 ismoved downwardly by the oscillating--movement imparted to the plate 25 and at the same time, the spring 29isplaced under tension due to the movement of the lug 25aL away from itsregistering position with thev -yoke member 14. When the spring is under#full tension, the lug 17 has moved sufficiently provides a long bearingwhich precludes any.

to free the lug 34 or 35 of the yoke member and thereupon the yokemember will oscillate with great rapidity under tension of the spring 29until its lower cross bar is brought against one of the stops 12, 13.

It will be noted from the above description of the parts that the yokemember has a bearing at either end which is outside of the dependentframe member and that the stops of the dependent frame coperate with theyoke at both sides. This arrangement gives in eec't an. extremely longbearing for the yoke member so that there is little or no tendency ofits twisting when under strain.

Attention is also particularly called to the slide plate 18 with itsdetent member. This slide plate filling the space between the dependentmembers of the supporting rplate possibility of the slide membercramping upon the pivot stud which operates it.

Obviously, the exact detail and arrangement of the parts might be variedto a considerable extent without/departing froiin the spirit or iiltentof the invention but it is apparent t at the device as illustrated anddescribed relies upon-a single main spring without spring detents orrotary cams for locking andthe switch blades.

Provision is made to minimize 4`friction and contactsurface' of themoving parts and the locking and releasing actions are positive and. arederived directlyfrom the switch actuating member.

What I claim as my invention and desire to secure by Letters -Patent is:f

1. -In a push button switch, asupporting plate having dependent parallelmembers provided with stop lugs, a switchblade yoke embracing saidmembers, a slot formed in one of said dependent members, a slide plateextending between said members from .one to the other and guided therebyand having a` lug projecting beyondone of'said dependent members, aspring intermediate said actuator and switch-blade yoke and av pivotalconnection intermediate the actuator and slide plate for reciprocatingthe latter.

2. In a push button switch having a supporting plate with paralleldependent members, `a slot formed through one of said members, a slideplate extending-between the dependent` members of the supporting plateand with an arm formed integral therewith and resting against one ofsaid members7 an oscillatory actuator pivotally connected with said arm,a lug extending from the slide plate through the slot of the dependent.member and switch blade yoke controlled by said lug.

3. In a push button switch having a supi'- porting plate with paralleldepending members, a reciprocating slide plate located between said'members and extending across from one to the other so as to havesupporting bearing against each, a locking and release lug carried bythe said plate, and an oscillatory actuator for the said plate.

4. In a push button switch having a supporting plate with paralleldependent members, a slide plate extending between the dependent membersof the supporting plate and bearing against both of said members andhaving an arm resting against one of said members and extending to anactuating vC. J REACH,

G. D. PHILLIPS.

